Onions and Cancer – What’s the Connection?

The French made the onion a superstar, and all of us now use onions as an essential ingredient in most dishes. Next time you have an onion soup or ask for onions on your sandwich, know that it’s not just that pungent kick and crunch of this vegetable that should make you smile. You should also be happy to know that you are eating a very healing food.

Onions and garlic are both allium vegetables. According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, “epidemiologic and laboratory studies suggest that allium vegetables and garlic constituents have antitumor effects.”

In fact, regular consumption of onions has been associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer. It is believed that the flavonoid quercetin in onions is the protective factor as it’s been shown to stop the growth of tumors in animals and to protect colon cells from the negative effects of some cancer-promoting substances like cigarette smoke.

While such studies are new, there is strong evidence that onions may lower the risk of cancer of the brain, esophagus, lung and stomach.